Kanchanaburi - Beyond The Bridge
Traveling westwards.
Last month I revisited Kanchanaburi for a walk in town instead of going for the standard highlights.
As shown above, obviously the Bridge is for most visitors the main reason for coming here.
Unfortunately, it was only a brief stop of a few hours, but on the way to Heritage Street, we noticed right away this large piece of bamboo artwork.
Standing right in front of it didn't really give us a clue what it was about, besides some kind of face...
From a distance however, it suddenly revealed itself, very clever, see the last photo!
Kanchanaburi's Heritage Street (Pak Prak Community & Pak Phraek Road) was set up with the best intentions as usual.
Showcasing 20 heritage buildings with information boards explaining the artistic styles and history in Thai & English. (*)
But by now a lot of those information boards are faded and some of the buildings seem to have been left falling apart...
Despite that, a better time to visit might be on late Saturday afternoons when this road becomes a walking street!
The riverfront, where the Khwae Yai meets the Kwae Noi, has seen a lot of changes!
Opened last year this 12-meter-high and 150-meter-long walkway provides great views of both riversides and the town.
And of course, of all various types of boats traveling along both Khwae rivers.
When we visited there were plenty of local tourists, but it never got crowded at any time. (**)
Especially during sunset, the views should be great.
Not easy but they managed to find these 'socks' for my big feet!
Now you can see the full effect!
To be fair, this town deserves much more exploration.
Ideally sometime later this year I'll cycle to Taling Junction Station, hop on the train to Kanchanaburi, get off in town, and take 2 days to cycle around...
(**) Entrance fee 60 thb, open 09.00 - 18.00, 6x 1-hour rounds per day, with the number of tourists limited to 100-120 each time. Wearing protective 'socks' is mandatory,
I have positive recollections of this town, too, KK. Actually, for many Australians, I think, the WW2 graveyards and museums might be a bigger attraction than the bridge.